Now Playing

Finally started up Civilization: Beyond Earth. It's a bit overwhelming at first, a lot is familiar but it definitely doesn't play the same and I don't have a strategy worked out so I"m just playing a "ehh...fuck it" game just to research whatever and see what happens.

I also FINALLY beat Dragon Age (I know, I know...long time but I had a move between countries in the middle so). It was a good game but to me it still lacked that little special something that Bioware games have. Not to mention the incredible amount of "OH MY GOD, PLAYERCHARACTER YOU ARE THE BEST, MOST ATTRACTIVE, SMARTEST BEING I HAVE EVER MET!" that annoys me in a lot of fantasy games in particular.

I agree on that spark to an extent. More like it's more muted than Bioware's other games. I mostly have it as my favorite because I prefer the core gameplay of Inquisition to Origins or 2

I agree with that statement pretty much 100%. But story/character wise it did feel muted, muted is a good word for it.

Finally played some Far Cry 4 co-op last night and took down a few fortresses. Really freaking fun, especially the failed attempts. I need to unlock more weapons. A signature sniper rifle with a silencer/suppressor would help.

Finally picked up Mortal Kombat X yesterday. For a fighting game, it's honestly got more content to it than the bulk of AAA adventure or shooter games.

I started up Kirby Super Star Ultra on DS. It is pretty neat. It seems to be a collection of mini-campaigns of sorts and additional mini-games. It is a cool idea. I can imagine some other series using a similar structure and it being quite good.

Still working away at Assassin's Creed Unity too.

Started Dragon Ball Xenoverse on PS4. It seems to be shaping itself up to be a Dragon Ball MMO fighting game (sort of). I'm debating on whether to pick up Final Fantasy Type-0 HD. I really want it but not sure I want to spend a whole bunch of gaming money right now.

Tried some of Mortal Kombat X and I just don't think this series is for me. I could enjoy Injustice for all the DC characters but without them it's just meh

I finished Assassin's Creed Unity. At times it reminded me why I liked the series so much at its peak (the assassinations, the grand architecture, etc.) and at others reminded me why I grew fed up with it (the general stealth is still wonky and the combat continues to suck). Still I had a good time with it. I also liked how minimal the current day stuff was. And when it broke away from the central story it actually had some great moments (like climbing the Eiffel Tower and the Statue of Liberty). I will probably write more advanced impressions on my blog as I found the experience to be an interesting one.

Got an Xbox One with the Master Chief collection. Feels so good at 60 FPS, reminding me why I love these games more than any other FPS. My second favorite one (whatever it is) isn't even close. Knowing my gaming time will be spent on them the next month or two makes me so happy, especially since my folks basically took my 360 for Netflix.

Nice, congrats on getting an Xbox One.

I think I'm the last holdout cheapskate who still doesn't have a current-gen console.

At least you're calling it current gen. Remember how people used next gen for PS3/360/Wii as far as 2011.

I've been playing the career mode in NBA2K13. It's a lot less annoying than playing normal games and probably the only really long game mode I enjoy in any sports game. Thing's like "dynasty" mode really annoy me because they seem to replace single seasons and they require way too much effort, but this is pretty cool.

Also started up KOTOR 2 but I'm still just getting used to it. It's been a little while since I've played a game like this and there's just so much to take in. Not very far in yet

I beat Grand Theft Auto V. What a great game.

I finished up Kirby Super Star Ultra. There was a surprisingly good amount of content here despite the odd structure. Not up there with my favorite Kirby games, but still a good one.

Also realized the Dead Kings expansion for ACU was free and went and snagged the game from the mailbox before it went out to Gamefly that day. Was pretty fun.

I started up Wolfenstein: The Old Blood. It starts out a bit slow with this weird stealth section. Stealth is an integral part of The New Order, but this particular section is kind of odd and overly long. It has picked up since then though. It also is lacking in story which was one of the surprisingly good elements of TNO. So far I am having fun, but it doesn't stack up with TNO. I will be sure to report back after I have finished it proper.

I played and finished Broken Age over the weekend. Wasn't the best adventure game I've ever played with the puzzles and items, but the characters, charm and art style really set it apart. The voice acting was fantastic too. Its must more game-y than all the Telltale Games I have been playing lately.

Broke my usual "don't buy games at full price on Steam" rule for Project Cars. It's super impressive. I'm not very good but I'd already say it tops GT5 and whatever the last Forza I played was. Even playing with a controller with all assists off feels pretty good. There's so much stuff you can customize too. You can jumble around your HUD and download extra stuff for it if you want. You can not only customize time and weather, but create a whole custom weather progression and adjust it's speed. You can change seat position and force feedback in case you want it to feel super accurate to your real car (might sound excessive but a friend of mine did this with a car similar to his in Assetto Corsa and it feels awesome to drive.) And there's phone/tablet apps if you want to go crazy over data.

If I have to complain I'll say that it's 2015 and I still can't drive as a ghost while waiting for an online race to finish. It's such an obvious solution to the boredom of waiting for people to finish

I have Saint's Row 4 and Kid Icarus Uprising coming in from Gamefly. Looking forward to diving into them this weekend some time.

If you have something to use as a stand to set Kid Icarus on while you play I highly recommend using it. Makes the world of difference for comfort

Yeah I was wondering if the controls would be okay without a stand. I will try and find something to use.

Played some of the Splatoon demo/beta test thing. Seems fun if not necessarily something that will hold my attention for too long. The roller seemed really over-powered, but I imagine that is because it is easy to use. So once people have time with the other weapons things might even out.

Also started up Saints Row IV and was laughing for most of the first hour. The Aerosmith Armageddon song kicking in was just too funny.

Beat Halo 1 in the Master Chief Collection. Still head and shoulders above every other FPS series' campaigns in my book. Going through 2 now and the nostalgia is bringing such a huge smile to my face. Also playing 2 multiplayer and having a ton of fun. Missed out on XBL with my original Xbox so getting a second chance to experience it is great. And for those curious, they patched up the regular MP jus fine. Online co-op could use some work though.

Also been playing Sunset Overdrive. Great game, fun floor is lava esque mechanics for traversal and combat, which combined with the weapon variety and Ratchet and Clank style leveling, makes for a very fun game. Humor's hit or miss though.

I never liked Halo's campaign and it's one of those cases where I wont argue it as a resolute fact. I see everything people like about them and respect it but I find myself getting really bored when playing through it with friends.

I only really liked the first campaign. Not that the others were bad, it's just that the first one (despite the repetition) has something special for me that the others don't. It might just be because I played it on PC, or because I enjoy the original set of enemies more. No FPS has enemies as fun as Halo. Only hunters in HL2 Episode 2 have come close to matching them for me

Yeah the enemy variety is a huge reason I love these games. They're so distinct both visually and strategy wise, though I think 2 had the best variety. Brutes, Elites, and the Flood, what more could you ask for?

Again, I TOTALLY agree with both of you. The enemies are unique and not just "Guy with brown shirt takes more bullets to kill than guy in white shirt" that most shooters are but yet...

Got a copy of Kid Icarus today... that actually has Kid Icarus on the cart! The controls are certainly as awkward as I'd heard. Only played a chapter but they were hard to wrap my mind (and hands) around.

It's funny because everyone was praising Metroid Prime Hunters for those same controls and I thought they were crap then. Only could bear KI because of that stand. I still like it but it really should have been a Wii game with platforming added in.